Burning Planet – Solving Global Grand Challenges
Growing population, urbanisation and digitalisation are affecting our daily lives in various ways. These trends also create grand challenges like climate change, air pollution, chemicalisation, water and food supply problems and global epidemic diseases like the pandemic COVID-19. To meet these challenges in a sustainable way we need a lot of data, a platform for analytics, innovative cooperation and proactive leadership.
Sustainable process.
Measure, analyse and decide. We need a lot of data for many activities in our lives.
We also need a proper analysis on data to make it useful for any decent decision. Dynamic and sustainable decision making needs a reliable chain of command and reliable chain of command needs reliable data, ultimately, a reliable chain of data.
Data and efficient decision making processes are needed in fighting against global grand challenges. We need data for effective action and decision making. We need data on behavioural patterns people are ready to follow and support them. Naturally we need different resources, but also using resources properly need a lot of data.
Elements for a common approach.
Various stakeholders need to work together.
- Unknown - It is crucial to collect data – a lot of data. Since we do not know which questions are important and what is the next crisis, we do not know which kind of data is needed in future. Yesterday’s data may save lives, even if we didn’t know it yesterday. Yesterday’s data is crucially important in building our future.
- Platform - We already have a lot of data. Still we need more data. We also need reliable ways to collect, transfer, store and analyze data. Ultimately we need a platform to make the data relevant for various purposes in a rapidly changing world. Data itself is not enough. The same data looks different when it is taken to a new context. We need a place to run data and visualise it in different contexts.
- Cooperation - We need more cooperation. Cooperation is important locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Otherwise we will run into a risk that our data is limited, analytics insufficient and ultimately we make wrong decisions. We need more cooperation also to understand our data and our needs better. Globally we need to strengthen multilateral cooperation. While bigger player may have more power, smaller may have more resilience. Power x Resilience = Strength. Strength can be used wisely, if we have a genuine will to act together.
- Innovation - Innovation by nature requires different views. We need different views to understand our own aspects better. We need different ideas for creating bigger impact. Innovations do not grow in silos, they get their first sparks in open environment, they are fertilised by multitalented creativity and they are finalised with trust.
- Humanity - The greatest power of all is the power of humanity. During exceptional times we need it more than ever. It seems to be easier for us to find humanity in ourselves, when we face common challenges with each other. We should also keep in mind that it is a great power also when we will return to more normal daily practices. Let’s use this power and momentum to meet other grand challenges. Our relationship with other people and also with nature is based on humanity.
- Leadership - Ultimately, exceptional times will help us to find exceptional leaders. The ones to follow and listen. The ones who are also interested in listening others. The ones who rather share than keep. Leadership is not to show that the leader is right, but to show the way we should go together. Leadership is not static decisions, but dynamic action in continuously changing environment. Leadership is action towards better future.
Common action.
The same climate and atmosphere is around all of us globally.
It is not irrelevant what we do in our home countries, what policies we develop, how we compare who is the best in fighting climate change. We cannot fight global viruses or security threats alone and we cannot handle climate effects alone. We should work more together to create bigger impact and we should be interested in knowing more about changes in our climate.
We invite everyone to work together for better climate and sustainable solutions. We need multitalented teams with various expertise, we need investments for science and innovations, we need a capability to commercialise climate solutions and we need decisive policy action. We have still a lot to learn and we can reach better, faster and more sustainable impact together.
Concrete tools.
To reach carbon neutrality, we need to cut CO2 emissions, but we also need to take CO2 out of our atmosphere. Climate Analytics Finland (CAF) offers carbon neutrality advisory services including independent and impartial carbon removal verification service. We believe that impartially verified carbon removals are necessary for anyone trying to reach carbon neutrality.
Contact us, share your ideas and let’s solve together our global grand challenges.
Authors
Markku Kulmala
Sami Paatero